


Pushing The Wrong Buttons

by thealphagate_archivist



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Established Relationship, Humor, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-03-20
Updated: 2006-03-20
Packaged: 2019-02-02 17:40:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12731241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thealphagate_archivist/pseuds/thealphagate_archivist
Summary: Jack's having a few technical problems which are seriously pissing off Daniel.





	Pushing The Wrong Buttons

**Author's Note:**

> Note from the archivists: this story was originally archived at [The Alpha Gate](https://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Alpha_Gate), a Stargate SG-1 archive, which began migration to the AO3 in 2017 when its hosting software, eFiction, was no longer receiving support. To preserve the archive, we began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in November 2017. We e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are this creator and it hasn't transferred to your AO3 account, please contact us using the e-mail address on [The Alpha Gate collection profile](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/thealphagate).

"JAACK!!!"

Jack O'Neill flinched visibly as he heard the angry tone in the voice that had just bellowed his name. He sighed, then pasted a weak, but hopefully what would be construed as an apologetic smile, squared his shoulders and walked bravely towards the sound.

Dr. Daniel Jackson stood rigid, his full lips pursed into an angry pout, eyebrows drawn together and those beautiful blue eyes glared angrily at one very anxious Colonel. Jack immediately felt all the blood in his brain head south in the wake of one very irate archeologist. Shaking his head to clear the very erotic images that Daniels's pout had produced he inquired, "Yes, Daniel, can I help you with something?"

Daniel took a deep breath, his anger filled eyes never leaving Jack's face, "Why, yes Jack," he snidely replied, "you can begin by explaining this." Daniel thrust the video tape he had been holding out toward the man standing in front of him.

"It's a video tape," Jack began, "you put it into a VCR and either watch what is already on it, or you record something that you want to watch at a later time." Too late Jack realized his mistake as Daniel's glare went from cold and enraged to downright icy and deadly. Jack swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing as visions of Daniel zatting him where he stood shoved aside the more personally preferred erotic ones. Things were about to get very ugly in the O'Neill household.

Daniel walked rapidly towards the older man and without thinking, Jack took a couple of steps backwards while holding his hands up in a futile attempt to try and placate the advancing man. 

"Now Daniel --"

Holding the tape threateningly in front of him, Daniel continued to advance. "Don't 'now Daniel', me Jack O'Neill, I asked you to record that program for me. Hell, I even bought a new tape and put it in the VCR myself, all *you* had to do was push record. I was going to set the timer but noooooo, you said that made it too hard to watch anything else, you promised me you wouldn't forget!"

"But that's just it," Jack began, "I didn't forget! I swear I pushed record, I don't know what happened, I --"

"JACK!" Daniel interrupted, stopping Jack mid sentence. "I want to know, and I want to know now exactly why the program I wanted to watch is no where to be found on this tape!" Daniel emphasized the last three words by poking Jack in the chest with the suspiciously blank tape.

"That's what I was trying to tell you¾" Daniel was so far encroached into Jack's personal space that Jack could feel the heat radiating from the younger man's body, a body that was practically thrumming with anger.

'Down boy' Jack thought to himself 'now is not the time'. While it was a well known fact that a pissed off Daniel was a magnificent sight to behold, full of passion and fire, he was also an exceptionally dangerous force of nature. Jack had no doubt that if he played this wrong, the man standing before him wouldn't hesitate to take him out at the knees.

"Daniel," Jack began again, "believe me, I know how important that program was to you and I honestly and truly thought it was recording, I mean I pressed record. *It* should have recorded, for cryin out loud!" Jack paused a moment to try and assess Daniel's reactions, to determine if he was making any headway or if the good Doctor was going to go in for the kill. 'Damn', Jack thought, there wasn't a clue as to where he stood in Daniel's normally expressive face.

"Go on, I'm all ears," Daniel prompted coolly.

Jack looked at Daniel standing there, arms folded angrily across his chest, ice-blue eyes boring holes right through Jack's soul, so he decided to try a different tactic. After all, he was a Colonel in the USAF and a specialist in the art of strategic warfare. Jack knew the best way to win any skirmish was to know your opponents weaknesses and not be afraid to exploit them. Jack closed his eyes, and hung his head for a moment, then, taking a deep calming breath, he prepared to do battle in the most efficient manner possible. He lifted his head back up and turned soulful, pleading brown eyes on Daniel, hoping that the icy exterior of the man in front of him might thaw just a little. For a moment, it looked as though his plan had worked, but then Daniel blinked and the icy glare returned. Jack hesitatingly placed a hand on Daniel's rigid shoulder, "Look Danny", 'yep, Jack O'Neill was going for broke here' "I really don't know what happened, but I did watch the program and I know it's not the same but..." Jack drew a deep breath before continuing. "If ya like, I can give you the details, hit the high points, give you my take on the mythological importance of the extremely interesting artifact that was discovered and that no one has ever seen before." Jack pasted a smile of innocence on his face as he gazed into the unblinking eyes of the man he loved and had obviously angered so much, waiting for the next strike.

Daniel sighed and lowered his head. He placed the empty video tape on the table beside him, then took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. Jack cringed, 'That was *so* never a good sign."

Daniel kept his eyes closed as he raised his head, "It's okay Jack." Daniel opened his eyes and met Jack's brown ones head on. "Accidents happen," Daniel said with a tone of resignation and a look which expressed such extreme disappointment that Jack thought it should be reserved strictly for children who have used the backs of highly important mission reports to draw pictures on. Daniel patted the hand that was on his shoulder, then stepped back, withdrawing his body for Jack's personal space and displacing the other man's hand. He hung his head and examined the floor and wrapped his arms around himself. With a shrug, the downtrodden man replied, "I guess it wasn't all that important anyway." 

Daniel turned away from Jack and headed toward the foyer. "I'll think I head home for a while." Daniel reached for his keys as Jack's strong fingers wrapped around his bicep.

"Wait. Please?" Jack began. Daniel turned slightly and Jack noticed that the younger man had begun chewing on his lower lip. Jack felt the knife which had embedded itself in his gut at the sight of Daniel's dejected posture, turn just a little bit more to the right. "Daniel?" Jack started again, "You are coming back, aren't you?" 

"Of course, Jack." Daniel answered. "I just need to feed my fish, maybe take care of a couple of errands and," he sighed, "if I get a chance, go for a run and clear my head." Daniel kept his head down for most of the conversation, only raising it occasionally to lock sad blue eyes with the desperate brown ones of the man beside him.

"Oh," Jack said quietly, letting go of Daniel's upper arm. "Then I'll see you later?" It was a question and Jack knew it, but he had to be sure that Daniel was going to come back.

"Yes, Jack, I already told you I'll be back, I'll see you this evening." With that Daniel picked his keys up off the side table, grabbed his jacket and walked out the front door. Daniel's drooped shoulders had Jack feeling as if he had just kicked a puppy. He watched the younger man walk dejectedly down the drive, and Jack never saw the evil smirk that spread across his lover's face. 

"Damn," Jack muttered to himself. "That didn't go well at all." Walking over to the phone he picked it up and quickly pressed number 3 on the speed dial. Jack walked the length of the living room as he waited for the party on the other end to answer.

"Hello?" 

"Carter. It's me." Jack could practically hear his 2IC straightening up as she replied. 

"Yes Sir, what can I do for you?" 

Jack took a deep breath and explained his current problem to his friend and teammate. After he had finished, he waited patiently for her to reply.

"Oh Colonel! How could you?"

Okay, that wasn't the response he'd been hoping for, but it was however, the one he had expected. "Come on Carter," he groused. "d'ya think I did it on purpose? It was an accident, I swear!" Jack could picture Carter, leaning against her counter and running her fingers through her hair as she contemplated a response.

"Sir, it a VCR, not a naquada reactor and you and I *and* Daniel all know that you are not as technologically impaired as you would have people believe. But, no I don't think you did it on purpose, you have too much self preservation for that."

"Thank you, I think," he replied. "Come on, help me out here, Daniel's really disappointed and I can't stand that look in his eyes, especially when it's directed at me."

"What did you expect Sir?" Jack could tell by the lilting tone in Carter's voice that she was smiling, 'So much for his reputation as a hard assed Colonel'. But to be perfectly honest, he didn't care, he loved his kids, they were more than just another team, they were family, and Daniel was the heart and soul of Jack's unique little clan. 

Carter's voice brought him back to the moment as she reminded him of the gravity of his current situation. "Daniel's been talking about this program for a week Sir, going on and on about the significance of the artifact as it pertained to our current understanding of the mythology involved." She stopped long enough to take a breath and then continued. "He has a lot of respect for the people involved with that program, Daniel really admires their willingness to think outside the box."

"Yeah, I know. I didn't understand half of what the English guy was always talking about, but Daniel sure does. Look, plain and simple, Daniel trusted me to record it for him while he was busy with that translation that SG4 brought back and I screwed up. Big time. Please, just get over here and help me find a way to fix this before he returns. Okay?"

"Of course," she sighed. "I'm on my way, Sir."

"Thanks Carter, bye." Jack hung up the phone and began anxiously pacing as he waited for Carter to arrive.

He finally tired of wearing a hole in the floorboards and decided to head into the kitchen for a fresh cup of coffee. "This is another fine mess you've gotten yourself into, O'Neill" he muttered to himself. Definitely *not* the way he had intended to spend their unexpected 4 days' down time.

Carter arrived shortly and barreled into Jack's house with hardly a glance at her commanding officer. "Where can I set up, Sir? We don't have much time and I have a feeling that this isn't going to be easy."

Jack directed her towards the small table in the dining room and asked her what she needed from him. "I've got it, Sir. Just give me a little bit of time." Jack stared at the back of Carter's head while he tried to process the fact that she had just very efficiently dismissed him.

A little over an hour later, Carter sat back in the chair and exhaled in relief. "Colonel," she called, "I got it. It should be finished downloading in just a few minutes and then I'll transfer the file so it'll be easier to access."

Jack looked down at the upturned face in front of him and smiled "Carter, if I didn't think Daniel and Pete would kill me, I'd kiss you." Not surprisingly, his very efficient 2IC turned the most amusing shade of red.

"Oh, the hell with it!" Jack laughed and leaned over kissing her on the cheek. "I guess I'll just have to take my chances."

"Yes, Sir," she mumbled. "Umm, Colonel? When I was trying to find the files I needed, I stumbled across something that you might be interested in. It's a little on the expensive side but if you looking to really make amends, I'd say it's just the ticket." With a few quick strokes of the keyboard, Carter had pulled up the site in question. "Well, what do you think?" 

"I think," Jack replied smiling. "that you're an amazing woman. Now, do whatever it takes, I want that for Daniel. Oh and Carter? Do you think you could get it here tonight?"

"Yeahsureyoubetcha," she replied smiling, causing her CO to cock an eyebrow in her direction. Carter was still grinning as she turned back to the computer, and a few keystrokes later, she was finished. "Okay Sir, here's the file. The second part of Daniel's surprise should arrive this evening." Carter stood and began to gather her supplies. "One more thing *Jack*," she said with a hint of a smug grin as she emphasized his given name. "The next time Daniel wants to record a particular program, let him set the timer. Because if this happens again, I'll enjoy watching Daniel devise his own methods of revenge. Good bye Colonel, talk to you tomorrow." With a sickening sweet smile, she walked out the door leaving Jack standing mute in the middle of his living room.

* * *

Daniel sighed as he maneuvered his car through the heavy traffic on his way back to Jack's house. He had been angry when he had left, angry and disappointed. He also knew that Jack was trying to make Daniel feel sorry for him by turning those puppy dog eyes on him. For a moment, it had almost worked. Daniel had been one second away from caving when he had looked into the stunning brown eyes of the man he loved. Eyes that had showed anguish, sorrow, and a wealth of love. That was until Daniel realized that while Jack may indeed have been sorry, he had also been trying to play on Daniel's emotions and his ingrained need to make Jack feel better. Well, thought Daniel, two could play at that game.

He had immediately squashed down any desire to make it easier on Jack, and had instead decided to hit Jack with the Jackson special - hunched shoulders, arms wrapped tightly around his own waist, big blue eyes full of disappointment and a soft voice that spoke volumes regarding Daniel's sense of self worth. It was hitting below the belt and Daniel knew it.

He knew he shouldn't have acted that way, he knew how much Jack hated to see him unhappy, but damnit, how many times had Jack asked Daniel to record a hockey game or the Simpson's, and Daniel had always made sure that he recorded whatever it was that Jack wanted. Hey, he had often even gone to the trouble to take out the commercials so that Jack could watch it uninterrupted. The sun was beginning to set as Jack's street came into view. It had taken Daniel longer at his house than the thought it would. Of course working on the paper he had promised he'd write would have been a hell of a lot easier had he been able to actually *watch* last night's program. To make matters worse, Jack had called, interrupting him more than once to ask when Daniel thought he might be coming back and if he should hold dinner. Daniel had come very close to telling Jack that he had decided to just stay at home and try and finish his work. However, before he could voice his decision, he remembered Rose, Jack's mom, telling him that going to bed angry never solved anybody's problems and that he really needed to clear the air. Angry and frustrated, Daniel told Jack he would be there for dinner. Hanging up the phone and giving up on the paper, Daniel instead went for a long run, losing himself in the rhythmic pounding of his shoes on the earth's surface. Pulling into Jack's driveway, he decided that Rose was right, it was time to get a few things off his chest.

Daniel climbed out of his car and made his way toward the front door, determined that he would stick to the anger and not resort to emotional blackmail. Daniel began talking as soon as he turned the knob and opened the door. "Jack, about earlier, I'm still angry, but I shouldn't have..." The sight that greeted Daniel as he stepped into the living room, succeeded not only in stopping him in his tracks but also rendering him speechless. A bottle of his favorite Cabernet sat uncorked on the coffee table beside two glasses. An assortment of candles were placed and lit all over the room, giving it an unmistakably romantic atmosphere. Just then, Jack came out of the kitchen dressed in the silk pajamas Daniel had given him for Christmas and carrying a platter of expensive looking cheese and gourmet crackers.

Jack smiled as he caught the bewildered expression on Daniel's face. Placing the platter beside the glasses, he walked over to Daniel and gently kissed the younger man "Hi," Jack said nervously. Jack noticed Daniels attire and asked quietly, "Did you enjoy your run?"

"Umm, yes," Daniel replied, his eyes blinking rapidly as he tried to figure out exactly what was going on. "Jack? What is all this?" he asked as his hand made a motion to encompass the setting before him.

"This, Daniel," Jack replied softly, "is an apology. Now why don't you get a shower, while I finish setting the table. Then I have a couple of surprises for you." Jack winked at the younger man and gently pushed him toward the bathroom.

Daniel took a couple of steps and paused before turning and looking directly at Jack. "Jack, while all of this is very much appreciated, it's not necessary. I was angry this morning, still am, to be honest, but I went a little overboard. I'm sure one of the other archeologists at the mountain recorded it, and I can just borrow their tape when we go back to work."

"Look. I know you're still angry, and you have every right to be. But please, let me do this, get a shower, then come into the living room." With that, Jack turned and headed in the direction of the kitchen humming, as he went.

Humming? Daniel thought. Jack's humming? He continued to stand where he was until Jack disappeared into the kitchen. Watching Jack's six as he walked away was undeniably a sight to behold, especially when said person was wearing a pair of clingy charcoal gray silk pajamas. 'Damn', Daniel mused, staying angry with Jack wasn't quite as easy as he thought it would be.

Daniel showered quickly and slipped on his own midnight blue pajama bottoms which were mysteriously lying on the bed. He hunted through the drawers and even under the bed, but he was unable to locate the matching top. Barefoot and shirtless, he grabbed a towel before he headed into the living room, anxious to see just what Jack's devious mind had devised while he was gone.

* * *

Jack rotated slowly as he heard Daniel approach, 'Oh yeah!' That was what he wanted to see, Daniel fresh from the shower, hair still damp and slightly spiked, a towel stretched across his powerful shoulders to catch any drops of water that might fall. Damn, even his pajama bottoms cooperated with the mood by hanging low on his hips and moving sensuously against his body as Daniel padded on bare feet towards Jack.

Jack swallowed and began to rethink the attire he had so thoughtfully laid out for Daniel. Getting through the next couple of hours without pouncing and devouring the younger man was definitely going to be an exercise in willpower. "Here" Jack whispered, handing Daniel a glass of wine and trying to get his hormones under a semblance of control.

"Thank you." Daniel replied, looking over the top of his glasses and smiling as Jack grasped his elbow and led him to the sofa. Daniel sat down and leaned forward to inspect the spread before him. Not only was there cheese and crackers, but also a platter of appetizers consisting of crab puffs, stuffed mushroom and coconut shrimp, as well as a tray of strawberries and pineapple chunks which had been dipped in dark chocolate. His smile turned into a soft chuckle as he also noticed a bowl of chips complete with salsa.

"What?" Jack asked innocently.

"Chips and salsa, Jack?" Daniel asked as he reached for one of the stuffed mushrooms.

"Well," Jack began, only to stop short as Daniel bit into the mushroom, closed his eyes and moaned in obvious appreciation. Sitting down and trying to counteract the effect Daniel's lascivious expression and vocal endorsements were having on certain parts of his anatomy, Jack cleared his throat and squeaked out, "I like chips and salsa."

Mesmerized, Jack watched as the tip of Daniel tongue slowly swiped across his upper lip. Opening his eyes and gazing intently at Jack, Daniel simply murmured "Uh huh," as he reached for a crab puff and repeated his earlier performance. Jack's mouth went suddenly dry at the vision of Daniel making love to the food and he began to question whether or not the appetizers had been such a good idea after all.

Jack simply sat and stared transfixed as Daniel, who was decadence personified, proceeded to very enthusiastically sample the various foods in front of him, occasionally glancing at Jack and licking his fingertips.

"Aren't you going to eat anything?" Daniel asked, biting into a piece of pineapple.

"Ummm." Blinking Jack forced himself out of the lust induced haze he had fallen into and smiled. "Yeah, I am," he replied, leaning forward until he was close enough to lick the pineapple juice from Daniel's lower lip. As soon as Jack touched that delicious mouth, he knew all of his plans for waiting until after Daniel received his surprises were moot. Daniel placed one hand on the nape of Jack's neck, drawing him closer and deepening the kiss. 

Somewhere in the back of Jack's brain was the lingering suspicion that there was something else he had originally planned to do for Daniel. However, as Daniel began unbuttoning Jack's pajama top, stopping after each button to gently ghost his fingertips across Jack's exposed skin, his brain narrowed to a point where the only thought that existed was Daniel and the feel of him as he moved closer and closer into Jack's personal space. 

Daniel finished with the buttons and pushed the silk slowly down Jack's arms. Once free of the shirt, Jack wrapped his arms around Daniel and felt the younger man tremble slightly as Jack's calloused hands explored the muscles of his lover's back. Daniel leaned back, pulling Jack with him until his head connected with the armrest and Jack was lying on top of him. Daniel continued wiggling around under the weight of Jack's body, causing him to alternately whimper and growl, while Daniel very effectively maneuvered Jack between his legs and removed the rest of their clothing. 

Jack planted kissed along Daniel's collarbone, eliciting small gasps of pleasure from the man beneath him. Encouraged he continued to kiss, lick, and nip his way down Daniel's torso. Daniel had his head thrown back, his body arching into the heat of Jack's mouth as his hands clung desperately to Jack. 

Jack could feel Daniel's nails raking across his shoulders as he slowly continued his assault on the younger man. When he got to Daniel's appendix scar, he used his tongue to trace it, then gently blew air across the same path, drying the moisture left behind and leaving goosebumps in its' wake. Daniel immediately drew in a ragged breath as his body bucked in response. "God yes, Jack." 

Jack couldn't help but smile at Daniel's impassioned plea. "Patience, Danny, patience," he murmured as he continued moving down the writhing body.

* * *

Propping himself on one elbow, Jack looked down into the face below him. Somewhat flushed, eyes half open, mouth slightly parted, Daniel was the picture of contentment.

Sporting a self satisfied smirk, Jack leaned back down and kissed Daniel's jaw line, using one hand to hold himself up while the other began searching under the cushions of the couch.

"Jack, what are you looking for?" Jack grinned as Daniel simultaneously asked his question and tilted his head, giving Jack better access to his neck and that sweet spot right below his left ear.

"I'm looking," he answered while nibbling on Daniel's ear, causing the younger man to squirm enticingly beneath him, "for the remote, gonna put on some background noise." Working his way back around to Daniel's mouth, Jack began a long, slow kiss guaranteed to curl the toes of one very red-blooded archeologist.

Daniel moaned into Jack's mouth as Jack located the ever elusive remote and hit play. Instead of the haunting sounds of a cello wafting through the expensive sound system, Jack and Daniel were deluged with the sounds of a roaring crowd and the overly excited voice of the sports announcer eagerly proclaiming that the world had just witnessed history in the making. For one brief moment time stood still, as Daniel stared incredulously into Jack's stunned eyes. Then, all hell broke loose.

"Shit!" Jack yelped, as he was sent flying off of Daniel and landed ass first on the cold floor.

"Damnit Daniel!" Will ya just wait a second?!" Jack jumped up with as much dignity as he could muster, considering he had been dumped unceremoniously on the floor in nothing but his dog tags. 

By the time Jack had pulled himself to his full 6'2" height, Daniel had managed to get all the way across the room. " - A hockey game, Jack? You turned on a *fucking* hockey game!"

'Oh crap', Jack thought, not only was Daniel cussing, he was also pacing back and forth, completely naked and muttering to himself in several different languages. Jack was relatively sure the majority of the words coming out of his linguist's mouth would make a marine blush. Yep, no doubt about it, Daniel had gone from pure elation to completely pissed in less than 60 seconds..

Jack knew from previous first-hand experience, unfortunately quite a bit of previous first-hand experiences, that anything he tried to say at this point would fall on deaf ears. He suddenly had a rather disturbing thought that maybe the reason Daniel was using so many languages was so that he could figure out the best way to hide the body.

As he watched Daniel pace, power radiating off of him and thunderous eyes flashing dangerously in Jack's direction, he began to wonder if the ancient Greeks had envisioned Daniel when they gave a human form the God of war Ares. Not much in this world, or this galaxy for that matter, scared Colonel Jack O'Neill. However, an angry Dr. Jackson who was so righteously indignant he didn't even realize he was still naked as the day he was born managed to do what no snakehead ever had, and that was to scare the hard assed colonel shitless.

Jack's eyes widened as Daniel suddenly halted his pacing and stomped over to where Jack stood. Without even thinking about it, Jack reached down and protectively covered his groin.

Daniel stopped mere inches from Jack. "If the hockey game was that important, then why go to all this trouble?" Waving his arms about as he talked, Daniel barely missed hitting Jack on several occasions. "I mean, it's not as if I didn't know the game was on tonight, but when I saw all this..."again with the hands and Jack had to move slightly back or he was likely to wind up with a bloody nose at the very least. Daniel continued his diatribe, barely drawing a breath as the words continued to flow. "I thought that that you were making a sincere apology, that you were willing to give up the game."

Daniel glanced down at the placement of Jack's hands and then quickly looked back up into the other man's eyes. With an evil smirk, Daniel asked, "What's the matter, Jack? Worried you might lose something?"

"No," Jack answered. Very slowly and with extreme hesitation, Jack dropped his hands. Every instinct of survival he had was screaming that this was a trap and he had to call on all of his special ops training to keep his hands at his side as opposed to protecting his family jewels. Jack stood perfectly still as Daniel began talking and pacing once more. "You know Jack, if you wanted to watch the game," Daniel paused long enough to glance at Jack's groin, smiling dangerously and obviously taking perverse pleasure in making the older man very nervous. 

"Daniel," Jack started softly, only to be completely ignored. 'Yep', he thought, deaf ears'.

"All you had to do was say so," Daniel continued. "But to claim background noise."

"Daniel!" Jack tried again.

Daniel stopped pacing and stared directly at Jack. "Just forget it, I'm going to bed, enjoy the rest of your game."

With that, Daniel turned and headed toward the guestroom. 'Shit!' Jack thought, this just went from bad to worse. Jack knew if he didn't fix this now Daniel would never believe that he'd taken care of everything while Daniel had been out earlier today. He would just assume that Jack had called Carter after he had gone to sleep and either begged or ordered her to do something. Oh, he knew Carter would back him up, but that meant he would have to try and explain to her how he had screwed up once again. Not something he wanted to do. Quickly grabbing for the remote which had sailed across the room during his unexpected freefall, Jack promptly pushed the right button.

Immediately, the sounds of a single cello swelled through out the speakers, filling the house with the haunting melody of the opening credits. Daniel stopped halfway down the hall pivoting slowly, and began walking back towards the living room. He found Jack in almost the same place he had left him. Daniel stopped just inside the room and glanced quickly between the television and Jack, eyes stopping on his lover's face.

Quietly, Daniel asked "How?"

"I'll tell you later," Jack stated. "It's fixing to start, come on."

Reaching out for Daniel, Jack visibly relaxed when he felt the strong fingers wrap around his offered hand. "Oh Jack, I'm so sorry."

"It's all right, now come on, you DO not want to miss this." Pulling the still naked and somewhat confused Daniel once again to the couch, he sat and tugged Daniel down next to him. "Now, just relax and enjoy," he said as he covered them both with the throw from the back of the sofa, and possessively slipped his arm around Daniel's shoulders.

* * *

As the ending credits rolled, Daniel leaned back and rested his head on Jack's arm.

"Wow!" he stated, "that was very...wow." Jack chuckled at Daniel's apparent loss for words. Turning so he could look at Jack's face Daniel asked, "Do you think they know what they really have?"

"I doubt it." Jack answered. "I mean, if they did then Fred's eyes would have glowed and it would have been a snake in that sarcophagus instead of moldy old mummy dust."

"I guess you're right, but still -" Daniel was interrupted as the door bell rang and Jack practically threw him to the floor in his haste to answer it.

"Ummm, Jack?" Daniel called, standing up and pulling on his pajama bottoms.

"Hang on a minute, Daniel, this is important."

"I'm sure it is," Daniel said with a smirk, "but don't you think you should at least put these on?" he asked as he held up Jack's pajama bottoms. Jack glanced down at himself and quickly grabbed the offered item of clothing.

"You think you're real cute, don't ya?" Jack asked hopping up and down, as he tried to get his legs into the silk pajamas while trying to get to the door at the same time.

"Not necessarily," Daniel replied, looking around for something to cover his upper half with. His eyes landed on Jack's pajama top and Daniel quickly slipped it on adding, "But I think you are." 

Jack glared at Daniel as he opened the door, they had had this conversation, colonels were *not* cute. Ruggedly handsome, yes, but not cute. Turning his attention back to the front door, Jack quickly took the envelope from the courier's hands and then signed for the package. "Thanks" Jack stated as he shut the door and reclaimed his seat next to Daniel.

"Okay," he began, "before you open this, you need to know that I didn't even know something like this existed. Carter found it when she came over earlier to help me get you that Angel episode and suggested that you might like it. So, ummm, here." With that Jack thrust the envelope into Daniel's hands

Daniel looked down at the thick envelope and noticed it was from the travel agency in town.

"Jack, what is this?" he asked.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Just open it, okay?"

"Okaaaaay."

Daniel quickly opened the package in his lap and pulled out all of the information contained within. Eyes wide he whipped his head around and looked at Jack. "You have got to be kidding!" he laughed, "The Slayer Cruise?"

"Yeah, the complete guest list isn't finalized yet, " Jack began eagerly, "but that green karaoke dude is definitely gonna be there as well as the guy that played Adam and that blonde vampire chick you liked so much."

"Darla," Daniel helpfully supplied. "Yeah, that's the one, anyway, I got us first class accommodations and for 7 days we'll sail around the Caribbean with, how was that worded on the website?" Jack muttered to himself. "Oh yeah, with several of your favorite cast members from Buffy and Angel," Jack finished with a grin and a very definite game show host tone to his voice.

Daniel laughed again and looked back at the brochures in his lap. His finger lovingly traced the outline of the cruise ship The Zuiderdam as if it were an ancient artifact. Turning once again to look at Jack, he simply said, "I can't believe you did this. Thank you."

Daniel carefully placed the cruise information on the end table. Moving closer to Jack, he placed both hands on either side of his lover's face and slowly moved in for a kiss. "That's about the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me," he breathed seconds before his lips connected with Jack's.

Jack moaned and slipped one hand under the pajama shirt covering Daniels chest. He splayed his fingers, trying to touch as much of the smooth chest as he could while his other hand meandered tantalizingly up Daniel's thigh. 

Daniel moved his hands, placing one behind Jack's head, fingers playing in the soft silver strands, and he let the other trail lightly down Jack's chest toward the waistband of his pajamas. Daniel continued to kiss Jack, moving along his jaw line, his tongue flicking out to taste Jack's skin. When he finally reached his ear, Daniel whispered "Come on flyboy, I think I owe you an apology." 

Daniel stood and Jack clasped the offered hand allowing Daniel to help him to his feet. 'Oh yeah!' Jack thought, 'this is definitely more like it' as he let the younger man lead him to the bedroom.

* * *

*The next day*

Jack walked into the house from getting the mail just as Daniel picked up his ringing cell phone. Holding his breath that it wasn't the mountain calling them back for some emergency, Jack waited to see who was on the other end.

"Jackson," he stated simply. "Oh, hi Sam." There was a pause of a few minutes, then Daniel said, "Yeah, I'm here." Another short pause and, "Okay, talk to you in a few, bye."

"That was fast," Jack stated, somewhat bewildered. In the seven years he had known Carter, she and Daniel had never had a conversation that lasted less than an hour unless Daniel was totally engrossed in translating some alien text.

"She's calling right back, didn't want to talk on the cell phone, just wanted to find out where I was."

The ringing of the phone stopped Jack from commenting further. "Hi, Sam," Daniel said cheerfully. Jack turned away from the conversation, convinced that Daniel would be a while. He smiled to himself as he heard the soft chuckle come out of the kitchen where one half of the wonder twins was currently making a fresh pot of coffee and talking excitedly to the other half. 

Jack came to a decision and walked back into the kitchen, dropping a kiss on Daniels forehead, he whispered, "I'll be back in a few, there's something I need to take care."

"Sure Jack, be careful." Daniel smiled, his attention torn between Jack and trying to pay attention to Sam's conversation at the other end of the phone.

"Will do," Jack replied smiling. Having someone care enough to tell him to be careful every time he left the house, was something Jack thought he'd never be lucky enough to experience again. The fact that it was Daniel, was the proverbial icing on the cake.

A short while later Jack walked back into the house in time to hear Daniel bid Carter bye. Good timing, he thought to himself as he walked up behind Daniel and slipped his arms around his lover's waist.

"Hi there," Daniel said, leaning back against the strong chest of the man behind him.

"Hi yourself." Jack grinned, "Did you have a nice chat with Carter?" 

"Sure did."

"Oh," Jack stated, "and what about? Unless it's got something to do with that doohickey Carter's been slaving and drooling all over, in which case I don't want to know. I am, after all, off duty."

Daniel chuckled and turned in the arms surrounding him till he was face to face with Jack.

"No, no doohickey talk."

"Then what?" Jack asked before snatching quick kiss.

"Ohhhh, you know, this and that." Daniel replied mysteriously.

"Uh huh, in other words," Jack said, "you told her that I pushed the wrong button again."

Daniel laughed softly and kissed Jack, "Don't worry about it, she still loves you and so do I."

"Good to know," Jack stated as he walked over to pour himself a cup of coffee.

"By the way, Jack" Daniel asked, taking a sip of his own coffee. "Where did you go?"

"Well Daniel, ya see, this morning around 5 a.m. while you were sleeping *oh* so soundly, I realized that I owed Carter big time. And I do mean BIG," he said, his eyebrows rising for emphasis. "So I went and picked her up a little something."

Jack handed the package to Daniel who looked at it, then turned surprised eyes Jack direction. "Extreme Con, Jack?"

"Well" Jack began, "she's a huge fan of that show Wormhole Extreme and I thought since she was the one who suggested the Slayer Cruise, the least I could do was get her two tickets to this year's con." 

Daniel looked at Jack, his face breaking into a huge grin. "That was an excellent idea, very thoughtful too, I'll bet she and Pete will have a wonderful time."

"Oh course she's welcome to take Pete," Jack said with a devilish gleam in his eyes as he rocked back and forth on his heels, "but something tells me she'll be taking Teal'c."

"Teal'c?" Daniel began, "Why would she take Teal'c instead of Pete?"

"Well ya see Daniel," Jack said taking a step closer towards the confused man, leaning in and whispering in Daniel's ear as if he was sharing top secret information. "Teal'c is just as much of a fan as Carter is. They go to this thing every year together." Straightening up Jack added with a bit of a smirk, "I just don't see ole Pete changing that."

Daniel stood rooted to the spot, blinking rapidly as he tried to process the fact that Sam and Teal'c went to Extreme Con every year and wondering if they went in costume.

"Now," Jack said suggestively, "we've still got three days' downtime, and I have already spent entirely too much of it out of bed."

Taking the now empty mug from Daniel's lax grip and placing it in the sink, he then took Daniel's hand in his and began walking towards the bedroom. 

"Daniel?" Jack asked with a hint of a smirk. "You know that paper you're working on?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

Jack stopped walking and turned to look Daniel in the eyes, "It wouldn't happen to be...oh I don't know...fan fiction maybe?" He asked, his eyes twinkling in laughter.

Jack's smile widened as he took in Daniel's reaction, eyes wide and mouth hanging slightly open, a definite blush spreading it way across his face and that delicious neck. 

"I *knew* it!" Jack crowed, leaning in and jubilantly kissing Daniel. "So, ya gonna tell me what it's about?" He asked.

Daniel just shook his head and headed for the bedroom with Jack hot on his heels.

"Come on Danny, tell me!"

Oh yeah, Jack thought happily, the next three days were gonna be so full of wonderful revelations.

Fin.


End file.
